Month: December 2023

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have been married for over a year now after the couple rekindled their relationship. During a new interview with Variety, Lopez spoke about life since their July 2022 wedding.

“We’re older now,” she said. “We’re wiser. We also know what’s important, what’s really important in life, and it’s not so much what other people think. It’s about being true to who you are.”

However, Lopez and Affleck still struggle with the effects of their 2003 breakup, when they dated for the first time. “We both have PTSD,” Lopez shared.

At the time, they had split due to pressure from the tabloids and paparazzi — which took a toll on their relationship. They had also been engaged at the time.

“Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” they shared in a joint statement at the time. “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”

Things this time around seem to be going a bit better, as the pair made it to the altar. Lopez is also preparing her This Is Me… Now album and joint film, both of which will document parts of her relationship with Affleck.

Back on July 1, 2022, the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson agreed to a lucrative contract extension that had the potential to be worth up to $231 million. It was a tricky situation, as Williamson is an All-Star level player when he’s on the floor, but his history of injuries and issues with his weight led to some reported conditions being put in the deal.

On the heels of Williamson only appearing in 29 games during the 2022-23 campaign, those conditions apparently came into effect. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic brought word that, due to Williamson’s inability to stay on the floor last season, the final three seasons on his contract — 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28 — are no longer fully guaranteed. But the good news for Williamson is that next season is, for now, left untouched, and he has a way to get the guarantees on those other years back based on “playing in enough games and hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints.”

The Pelicans also have protected themselves in case Williamson has any further significant issues with the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. If he suffers a fracture or a stress injury to that bone or the healed callus, or has what the contract calls a “hardware failure” related to the previous injury there, then half of his base salary for 2024-25 would no longer be guaranteed if the team released him.

The good news for both sides here is that Williamson has, to this point, been pretty durable during the 2023-24 campaign. He’s appeared in 23 of the team’s 28 games to this point, and while he’s come under criticism from folks like Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Stephen A. Smith, Williamson has managed to put up 22 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 30.5 minutes per game.

The 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour staged 11 concerts across the country between November 26 and December 16, hitting up the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and Madison Square Garden in New York City along the way. The oscillating lineup was headlined by the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Nicki Minaj, SZA, Jelly Roll, Usher, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, OneRepublic and more.

Pop Crave posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the show “opens with an Olivia Rodrigo performance” alongside a 26-second video snippet of Rodrigo backstage before “her first time performing at the Jingle Ball,” which would have been on December 1 in Los Angeles. Rodrigo also performed at the iHeartRadio Z100’s Jingle Ball 2023 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 8 — one day before serving as the musical guest on SNL. (It’s unclear where the video originated from.)

Catch up on who performed where during the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour here, and learn how to watch the subsequent television special below.

How To Watch The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 Concert Special

The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2023 will air tonight, December 21, beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. According to iHeartRadio, the TV concert special will feature performances from Cher, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Niall Horan, Sabrina Carpenter, OneRepublic, AJR, Doechii, Jelly Roll, Big Time Rush, Melanie Martinez, Paul Russell, and Pentatonix.

Beginning on Friday, December 22, the full special will be available to stream on Hulu or on demand.

Additionally, according to The Hollywood Reporter, there are also options to stream it via services like DirecTV Stream or Fubo. THR also relayed that “the show will include celebrity appearances, however, from Jimmy Fallon, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Tate McRae, Dixie D’Amelio and others.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

December is the perfect time to celebrate the holiday season, and what’s a better way to do that then watch a movie about two hot actors on a boat in Australia? It’s the season of giving.

Anyone But You follows Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in a classic tale of enemies who have to pretend to date for some undisputable reason. Surely nothing can go wrong here! Here is the official synopsis: “In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold – until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.”

The movie isnt on streaming yet, so if you want to check out the Shakespearean tale, you’ll have to head to theaters. The movie hit cinemas on December 22nd, and you can check showtimes via Fandango.

Anyone But You doesn’t have an official streaming release date, but it should ne noted that Sony’s other romcom No Hard Feelings hit the streamer after four months, so we will likely see it on Netflix sometime in the Spring.

Following The Bear Season 1, most of the show’s viewers would agree that Cousin Richie wasn’t the most enjoyable part of the show by far. Sure, he could get stabbed in the butt and walk it off, but he was also an annoyance and a miserable human being who was generally miserable for other characters to be around. In Season 2, however, Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s menace to Chef society became the surprise ace in the hole.

As my colleague Jason Tabrys discussed, Ritchie’s “true GOAT moment” arrived in the season finale, wherein Ritchie has gained enough foresight and professional redemption to see how Carmy’s obsessions are also his downfall. Richie Wears. Suits. Now. He was also able to pull the kitchen into being a well-oiled machine in the space of 15 minutes on friends and family night. Meanwhile, Carmy was languishing in the refrigerator, not even able to inwardly appreciate that he had provided enough guidance (and sources for such) to his fellow Chefs that they could keep the fires going amid disaster.

The character growth that Richie experienced in “Forks” is what made this turnaround possible, and that’s why Season 2, Episode 7 is my favorite TV episode of the year. And I’m not alone, although plenty of other The Bear-heads would prefer the nightmare Christmas episode, “Fishes,” which was adorned with endless cameos and painted an exquisitely painful portrait of why the Berzatto siblings ended up, well, the way that they did.

And sure, Succession and Reservation Dogs fired out strong competition, but man, The Bear inspired the most lively conversation on Twitter.

Richie’s character growth (and that Taylor Swift scene) was beautiful for the audience to witness, but no one was more surprised than Richie himself. That’s a recipe for good TV.

Also, there’s the “mental health” aspect to consider when deciding what to rewatch, “Forks” or “Fishes.” No contest there, really.

And the debate continues:

The Bear‘s first two seasons are available to stream on Hulu.

Zack Snyder drops the first installment in his massive sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon, on Netflix this week, and already, the question on everyone’s mind is will Part One – A Child of Fire get a director’s cut. The answer is yes, of course, this is Zack Snyder we’re talking about.

During his time in the DC Extended Universe, Snyder delivered director’s cuts for both Batman v Superman and Justice League that fans and even critics agreed were far superior than the theatrical versions. (Snyder also released a massive “Ultimate Cut” for Watchmen that ran nearly four hours long.) However, this time around, a director’s cut for Rebel Moon was always part of the plan.

Snyder revealed the existence of a Rebel Moon director’s cut back in August and has since likened the experience to The Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions. He also praised Netflix for giving him the freedom to expand on his burgeoning sci-fi epic.

“This was the first time I had ever been able to make a movie and plan for that,” Snyder told Entertainment Weekly. “The cut was not me fighting with them like, ‘Okay, you won’t do what I want. Can I at least release it on DVD?’ It was us going together.”

According to Snyder, the Rebel Moon director’s cut will be an hour longer. “It’s not just slightly different or a little bit more,” he said. “There are big chunks of the movie that are different.”

The director’s cut for the first Rebel Moon will reportedly arrive on Netflix some time before the release of Part Two – The Scargiver, which will also get its own director’s cut because, again, Zack Snyder is gonna Zack Snyder.

Here’s the official synopsis for A Child of Fire:

When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge.

As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire starts streaming Thursday, December 21 at 10 p.m. ET on Netflix.

Mariah Carey wrapped her Merry Christmas One And All! Tour at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday, December 17, and while she humbly resists being known as the “Queen Of Christmas,” the annual evidence is too overwhelming to ignore. This week, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And last week, Carey visited The White House to make sure its “festive decor” was up to snuff.

“Last week I had the pleasure of meeting President [Joe] Biden & Vice President [Kamala] Harris at the White House to ring in the holiday season!” Carey captioned an Instagram carousel. “While there, we got to see all the festive decor and spread some cheer!”

In one photo, Carey is standing with US President Joe Biden and her 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, in The Oval Office. Carey posed for a photo with President Biden as well as one with Vice President Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. Of course, there are photos of Carey inspecting The White House’s Christmas tree, as the Queen Of Christmas should.

The Library Of Congress’ official X (formerly Twitter) account also posted that Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” has been inducted into the 2023 National Recording Registry, a selection that was previously announced in April.

“.@MariahCarey stopped by the Library last week for a tour & to receive a certificate from Santa that commemorates the induction of ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ in the 2023 #NatRecRegistry. Congratulations & Merry Christmas, Mariah!” the post reads.

See both posts below.

Nicki Minaj answered some fan questions on Twitter, particularly if she would ever jump into the studio to collaborate with Taylor Swift. The answer was, obviously, yes, as Minaj didn’t hesitate to shower Swift with praise.

She responded that she would love to work with her “in a heartbeat.”

“The QUEEN TAYLOR DESERVES!!!! PERIOD!!!!!” Minaj wrote in a separate tweet. “She takes months & years off then comes back with great music & fans who’ll never leave her!!!!”

“The point is that we have something to aspire to as we watch the SAG QUEEN Taylor & the swifties & Republic Records,” she added, as she also discussed her own vinyl sales.

Except for a brief 2015 feud, Swift and Minaj have been longtime friends. When the rapper dropped her song “Super Bass” years ago, as she was just getting started, Swift gave it a boost in listeners by promoting it.

A few months ago, fans had speculated if the two were actually working on music together for Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version). The theories started after Swift included the word “Sagittarius” in her puzzle on Google, which was tied to the album. Considering the two both share the same star sign, it seemed like a possibility.

“That’s my favorite Sagittarius over there,” Swift also described about Minaj at this year’s Video Music Awards.

Check out Minaj’s recent tweets about her love for Swift above.

YouTube released its list of the most-viewed artists for 2023, and Peso Pluma took this year’s top spot. The musician gained over 8.5 billion views on his music videos across the globe.

“I feel humble and grateful that my music has made it to the top spot on YouTube,” Peso Pluma told The Hollywood Reporter. “A huge thank you to my musicians and team, my fans, everyone at YouTube and all the people who have made this project possible.”

Two of his songs, “Ella Baila Sola” (feat. Eslabón Armado) and “La Bebe (Remix)” (feat. Yng Lvcas), placed in third and fourth on YouTube’s Top 10 Songs in the US for 2023 as well.

According to the publication, “Ella Baila Sola” got a significant boost through TikTok. It broke a ton of records, too. Peso Pluma’s hit became the first regional Mexican song to make it in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 4 on the chart. It also spent 19 weeks on the Hot Latin Songs Chart and is certified 21x Platinum — amounting to 1.26 million in units.

As for the other artists rounding out YouTube’s most-viewed list this year, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Drake, Bad Bunny, and Taylor Swift were the rest of the Top 5.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have each been showered with cheers (and boos) at countless stadiums in their respective careers, but Kelce was still giddy as a schoolboy when discussing how New England Patriots fans erupted for Swift on Sunday, December 17. The galactic pop star was at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts to support Kelce as his Kansas City Chiefs beat the Pats, 27-17. As is the case everywhere she goes, Swift became the main attraction.

“They showed Taylor at the game,” the All-Pro Chiefs tight end said on this week’s episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce. “You don’t see an entire home team’s fan base go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors — just shows you how amazing that girl is.”

The two-time Super Bowl champion continued, “They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on the screen, yes. There might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was f*cking screaming their tail off for her. And yeah, I was trying to keep it cool. I was like, ‘Don’t show your cards. Don’t show your cards.’ It was fun, man.”

Swifties already know, but for the uninitiated: Kelce didn’t randomly select the names Brad and Chad to represent losers wasting their breath booing Taylor Swift, who is objectively winning at life. Earlier this month, Time revealed Swift as its 2023 Person Of The Year, and in the accompanying profile, Swift commented on the frenzy surrounding every Chiefs game she’s attended since September 24.

“I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in,” Swift said. “There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once.” She added, “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

Watch the New Heights episode above. (The Taylor talk begins around the 38-minute mark.)